Night of the PB's Part 2 (May 2017)
Men's Race A
ANDY VERNON, who runs for Aldershot Farnham & District, who had a poor race last year, made up for it with a good win at Parliament Hill winning in 28:21.15.
“Up to last Summer I was in a bad place for about two years. I have had now a year of very consistent training, high mileage good races and happy to be in that situation.’
‘The main thing here was to come and win. I never thought about getting a qualifying time here. I will be racing in Hengelo on June the 11th’
‘I wanted to be in the Olympics in the Olympic stadium but I have competed in it in the Anniversary games of 2013’
‘They do a really good job here and we need more races like this. Everyone is so close. You can have 80,000 people in a stadium but so far away. You can hear them but you are on your own whereas, here you can hear them. You are really in it.
‘At Hengelo if I don’t get the qualifying time. I can’t afford to do another 10k because it would be too much. If I don’t get it I will do the trial for the 5k.’
I wondered if it would interest him to do extremely well in a World Cross Country Championship, other than the Europeans which he has done well in already.
‘Unless you are going to get a medal in the World cross I don’t think anybody looks at it. In the European cross you can actually get on the podium so, it is worth a lot more than finishing 10th in the World Champs which is a really good position at the World cross!”
He certainly is good on the track, road and country so what surfaces did he enjoy the most?
“I like them all. I am starting to enjoy the road a lot more as well. I think I flow a lot better on the roads. I am just a decent cross-country runner and a descent track Runner.”
Good coaching lately?
“I have had a lot of good advice over the years. Three main ones in my career. Penny Yule (Force); Nick Anderson and Nick Bideau, who has coached a fair few.”
DEWI GRIFFITHS
“What I like about you is, you not only led for a long time but when Andy went well clear you still, as usual, tried very hard to catch him?
“I gave it a go. It is not in my nature to give up. It was a bit windy towards the end of the race today but I guess I was tiring.”
After your great run in the National Road Relay you went abroad
“I went to stay with Steve Jones for a couple of weeks and at Stanford I ran a PB of 28:16.” (Payton Jordan Invitational, Palo Alto)
First Six of 34 - 1. Andy Vernon (AFD) 28:21.15; 2 Dewi Griffiths 21:31.88; 3 Samuel Barata (PB, from Lisbon club BENFI, Portugal); 4 Ricardo Serrano V35 (A 2:13 marathon runner from Madrid Spain) 28:46.38; 5 Ben Connor, the National Cross Champ 28:46.45 PB; 6 Bart Van Nunen from the Netherlands, 28:57.73 PB.